It's Not Just About Giving: An Interview with a Manabiba University Student Staff Member - Reflections on Participating and Lessons Brought Back to Daily Life

Naako participated in Manabiba during the final summer of her university life.“For me, this was the place where the balance between giving and taking was just right,” she told us.

Conveying One's Own Experience

—So, Naako, you participated in Manabiba during the last summer of your university years.

Yeah. Honestly, before participating, I was feeling anxious. Since it was the last summer of my university life, I absolutely didn't want to waste it! I thought I would share my experiences with middle and high school students to give them some insights, or that I would gain a lot of learning and take it home with me. Even in my part-time job and seminar, as a fourth-year student, I’m in a senior position. I’m often in a role where I have to teach someone something or be relied upon by others.

That’s why I headed to Pippu Town with such enthusiasm.

—There was also a preliminary kickoff where the university student staff gathered online. I can really feel the passion you had before participating.

But actually, I had an experience in the past where I had something I wanted to convey, but it wasn't understood. I had a complex about communicating. Perhaps deep down, beneath that final burst of energy as a university student and my role as a senior, there was some anxiety.

—What did you convey to the children in Pippu Town? You also took on the challenge of a “Recipe” (a time when university student staff use slide presentations to share messages with middle and high school students based on their own experiences).

I had the experience of volunteering during the Great East Japan Earthquake. I talked about my outlook on life, which I formed after seeing the reality of the disaster-stricken areas and listening to the stories of those affected.It might sound a bit dramatic, but my message was something like, “I want you to live your life to the fullest,” and “I want you to feel glad that you lived through today.”

I have things I can share based on my own experience volunteering in disaster-stricken areas. I wanted to “give” this message to the children. But when I felt anxious about whether it would really get through or if they would understand, a Manabiba professional staff member gave me these words:

“Have confidence in your own experience. To hesitate here would be disrespectful to the people you met through those experiences.” That really hit home. As a fourth-year student, I’m often relied upon, and I’m used to my usual environment,and while I often say things to others, I rarely receive words from someone else.It was a slightly stinging comment, but that’s exactly why I was happy,.At the same time, I realized that this is how I can grow. I realized that I can grow little by little while feeling that sting.

At the company where I’m interning, I do coaching for other university students, andmy approach changed after I returned from ManabibaNow, I’m using trial and error, hoping to provide questions that can serve as starting points for their thinking. I want to “give” what I “took” at Manabiba.

Creating Together with Diverse University Students

—In the nights spent talking about the students and each other, you interacted not only with other university student staff but also with professional staff. It seems the words from the Manabiba professional staff really resonated with you.

The influence from other university student staff was just as significant.Usually, I often participate in events held in the region where I live or at my university, and no matter which event I go to, there’s always someone I know. But since Manabiba attracts university students from all over the country, I literally met all kinds of people.

Because it’s a “nice to meet you” relationship, we can ask each other simple questions. There are no unspoken understandings, and there are no preconceived notions like “Naako is this kind of person” that come from daily associations.Thanks to trying to get to know each other on a flat level, I felt like I encountered aspects of my own thinking that I had been overlooking.And I think we were able to learn from each other, too.

—Even though you were meeting for the first time, you became a team before you knew it, thanks to living together. And this photo, too, was possible because of the relationships you built with the other university student staff.

Exactly. Although only the student and I are in this photo, it’s a scene I couldn't have created on my own. I spoke with this student for the first time on the final day. But before that, I had already heard about this student from other university student staff. That’s precisely why I was able to talk to them the way I did.Instead of facing things alone, we work as a team, thinking about each individual student.I think that was the moment I realized that this Manabiba is something we create as a team.

Also, there was another university student who loved books. It was great that they set up books at the venue. Other students joined in, going to help arrange the books together or looking at them with the students. Then, one night, there was a student who questioned whether they were qualified to pass things on to the students. Through them, I was also made to think about how I face the students and myself.

—You all have different academic years, backgrounds, fields of study, and interests. It really is a learning space created by diverse university students, where each individual brings out their own unique qualities.

In closing

—Manabiba will continue next fiscal year and beyond. Na-ko, what kind of people do you want to see come to Manabiba?

People who want some stimulation! People who vaguely feel like they want to grow a bit more, but don't know how or in what direction. And people who are honest, humble, and have a desire to learn.

For me, Manabiba was a place where the balance between 'giving' and 'taking' was just right. Through my interactions with middle and high school students, university students, and adult staff, I ended up giving something to them, and conversely, I was also on the receiving end. It was a learning space we built by learning from each other.

I'm so glad I participated in the summer of my final year of university. Manabiba was also a place that gave me so much support. Since I'll be a working professional next year, I won't be able to be a university student staff member, but I feel that now it's my turn to support Manabiba in return for all the support I received!

—Thank you for answering these interview questions! I really hope those 'people who want stimulation' come to join us!